We Need Your Love
Not to sound clingy here but we really do. No, were not telling you to send us chocolates or stuff. So what am I saying here? We just want you to know that we appreciate your messages of encouragement and it really helps us.
Dealing with Hate
We all deal with discrimination and hate and it hurts. This is the main reason why groups or advocacies like us exist - in the hopes of building a more loving community. When we do put ourselves out there, we do know what we signed up for. We would be facing hate in a public setting. I don't want to put screencaps of all the hate messages we've read because nobody needs to see that again. While we are groups or volunteers or communities, we are after all human and these messages while we tell ourselves to "shake it off" still cuts deep within us. Because you know, this is us too.
Rollercoaster of Emotions
I have to admit (I believe most LGBTQI admins, heads, editors, volunteers can relate to this) that there are times that the hate gets the best of us. Sometimes, I tell Alla, "What did we get ourselves into?" and then she reminds me. But you know what, we get scared too and when we do, sometimes, we feel like backing out of the public eye and just go back to our own little bubble.
Just recently, we saw a post on another murder of a transgender. In this instance, it was Alla who was terribly affected. She was in tears. She backed away from the computer and buried her face in our couch. She can't believe what she saw. She can't believe that this was a reality for transgenders. It hit close to home. She remembered her sister and she feared for her. Then she feared for our lives as well.
Perfect Timing
What's weird is most of the time, when we do feel like backing out and hiding away, a single message pops on our screens telling us that they appreciate what we do. It can be a single line, a conversation or even as simple as "cool site". This - YOU are what powers us to push through, to go on, to persevere, to be brave.
So, whether you follow us or another LGBTQI group or even a person who made a brave move, please do not hesitate to let that person or group know that you appreciate what they are doing. It stays with us for a long time and fuels us in ways you probably never imagined.
